An aircraft engine computer, sometimes referred to as an electronic engine controller (EEC) or an electronic engine control system, may use different techniques to determine how much power should be delivered from the engine to the aircraft. In helicopters, the power required is estimated based on the Collective Lever Position (CLP). The Collective Lever refers to the collective pitch control located in the cockpit and used by the pilot to change the pitch angle of all of the main rotor blades collectively. Sensors, such as linear variable differential transformers (LVDT) or rotational variable differential transformers (RVDT) are hard-wired to the engine computer to provide sensor measurements directly to the engine computer through analog signals. Other parameters, such as airspeed and pedal position may also be used to determine the required power, and these parameters are measured with similar types of sensors that are also hard-wired to the engine computer.
There is a need to eliminate hard-wired signals in modern aircraft and thus, to find alternative solutions for determining the power needs of an aircraft.